Endorsing Brown, The Tea Party Sounds Kind of Like Warren

The state’s Tea Party activists are still supporting Scott Brown for Senate, as they did during his 2010 special election, reports the Associated Press. In doing so, they are making a case that sounds awfully familiar:

“The bottom line is that he’s a Republican in the Senate,” said Ted Tripp of the Merrimack Valley Tea Party. “Republicans have to take control of the Senate so we can stop the liberal agenda and roll back the liberal policies that have been put in place over the past few years.”

That sounds a lot like the talking points Elizabeth Warren uses when arguing for her own candidacy. Here’s Warren speaking at the first debate:

Sen. Brown has been going around the country, talking to people, saying, you’ve got to contribute to his campaign because it may be for the control of the Senate. And he’s right.

If it seems odd that the Tea Party and Warren would have the same message on this, consider that both groups are trying to deal with the fact that Brown positions himself as a moderate who will work with both parties. For Warren, that means the need to seek a strong argument for replacing him – in this case: his colleagues. For the Tea Party, that means betrayal, and the need for a good reason to support him. In this case: his colleagues.

In fact, some other activists who spoke to the A.P did a slightly better job of sticking to Brown’s talking points, not Warren’s. “Scott Brown is not as ideologically conservative as the tea party. I’m not sure he ever was,” says Christine Morabito, president of the Greater Boston Tea Party. “Maybe a lot of us wanted him to be more conservative than he was.” That quote must play like music to Brown’s ears these days.

Even so, it’s no wonder the Brown campaign’s statement to the A.P doesn’t exactly welcome the lukewarm Tea Party support with open arms.

“Scott Brown is an independent voice and while he welcomes support from all people, he is not beholden to any group,” Brown campaign spokeswoman Alleigh Marre said in a statement.

It’s as if he’s accepting the endorsement of the Committee for Outlawing Trucks or something.